In the face of continued workers’ protests, garment industry owners on Tuesday agreed to meet almost all their demands, including an increase in attendance bonuses, and tiffin and night allowances, payment of outstanding wages, and the implementation of the latest wage board award for workers of all factories.
The labour ministry, factory owners, and labour leaders compiled an 18-point demand based on the demands of the agitating workers from different readymade garment factories.
At a press conference held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday, labour adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan urged the workers to return to work, stating that all of their demands had been addressed.
He stated that factory owners and labour leaders had issued a joint statement agreeing to all 18 points of the workers’ demands to be implemented immediately.
The labour adviser hoped that normalcy would be restored in the industrial belts from Wednesday as the workers’ demands were met.
During the press conference, labour secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman announced that garment factory owners had agreed to increase the attendance bonus by Tk 225 along with an additional Tk 10 for the tiffin bill, and that the minimum night allowance would be Tk 100.
He said that factory owners agreed that the minimum wage would be implemented in all factories by October and all the units would pay dues by October 10.
Factory owners also agreed that employment would be ensured based on merit, without discrimination between men and women, according to the type of work.
As per the joint statement agreed by both the owners and workers leaders, workers could not be unfairly or unjustly retrenched in violation of labour laws and the period of maternity leave would be 120 days.
The statement said that initially the government Trading Corporation of Bangladesh and food ministry would provide daily necessities at affordable prices in labour-intensive areas and a proposal would be submitted to the relevant government authorities for a permanent rations system for workers.
Factory owners also agreed to establish day-care centres in all factories In accordance with the labour act.
Regarding the revision of the minimum wage, both parties agreed that a committee, headed by a labour ministry additional secretary, and comprising three representatives each from the workers’ and owners’ sides, would review the wage regulations and industry capabilities within six months.
The committee will also make recommendations regarding the annual increment by November, taking current inflation into account.
Regarding blacklisting of workers in the biometric database of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, a technical committee of labour ministry would review the system and submit a report by October.
Home adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that all parties must commit to implementing the decisions to prevent any untoward situations in the industrial areas.
‘After extensive discussions, decisions have been made regarding the workers’ demands, and we do not want to see any unrest in the RMG industry from Wednesday,’ he said. Â
The home adviser stated that all factories would reopen on Wednesday, and that action would be taken against anyone attempting to create unrest.
Regarding other demands, including introduction of Provident Fund, the factory owners and labour leaders agreed that the Department of Inspection of Factories and Institutions would consult with both workers and owners.
The statement also read that that all cases filed against workers, including those related to the 2023 wage movement, would be reviewed and settled through the law ministry.
Additionally, families of the four workers who lost their lives during the wage agitation would receive compensations.
After the announcement of the statement, Kutubuddin Ahmed, former general secretary of InduariAll Bangladesh Council urged the workers to join work from Wednesday as factory owners agreed to meet their demands.
BGMEA president Khandoker Rafiqul Islam urged the government to ensure security for factory operations starting Wednesday.
He said that many of the country’s largest RMG factories, located in Ashulia, had been closed for an extended period due to labour unrest.
‘We want to operate smoothly from Wednesday and do not want to see any more unrest or vandalism,’ the BGMEA president said.
According to BGMEA statistics, 39 garment factories in Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur suspended operations on Tuesday as workers continued their protests over their demands, including a wage hike.
Of the 39 factories, 35 are located in the Savar and Ashulia zones, while the remaining four are in Gazipur.
A total of 29 RMG factories in the Ashulia area remained shut under the labour law provision 13(1) of ‘no work, no pay’.
Another six factories announced a holiday, as workers, either left or did not report for work, after initially joining in the morning.
Workers’ unrest in the readymade garment sector began in the last week of August over a number of demands and had persisted since.